


Trinity Knot

by mac23



Category: Given (Manga)
Genre: I achieved enlightenment by writing this fic, M/M, OT3, Yuuki Lives, fluff/angst, nothing too crazy, slight nsfw, wholesome love triangle that works out for everybody
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-29 21:11:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19838581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mac23/pseuds/mac23
Summary: We often see things in black and white. Good and evil. Right and wrong. One or the other. Our thinking is so heavily reliant on the idea of dualism that we refuse to acknowledge the existence of the gray matter, a third option—or perhaps many more.So why does any of this matter?Well, why is Uenoyama in a closet with Yoshida Yuuki when the one he likes is Mafuyu? And why does it feel so right to be there with him?If you ask Uenoyama, it would probably be because he never considered a third option.





	1. Where It All Started

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aslanjades](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aslanjades/gifts), [youtiao](https://archiveofourown.org/users/youtiao/gifts), [Awaari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awaari/gifts).



> shoutout to everyone in my Given gc on twitter, especially iman, kayla, and zenon
> 
> this fic is for you; rejoice-- Yuuki is still an angel, but he's ALIVE this time around.

We often see things in black and white. Good and evil. Right and wrong. One or the other. Our thinking is so heavily reliant on the idea of dualism that we refuse to acknowledge the existence of the gray matter, a third option—or perhaps many more.

So why does any of this matter?

Well, why is Uenoyama in a closet with Yoshida Yuuki when the one he likes is Mafuyu? And why does it feel so right to be there with him?

If you ask Uenoyama, it would probably be because he never considered a third option.

While he stands there, absorbing the heat radiating from Yuuki, his mind is still wondering how in the hell he got himself into this in the first place. If he had to pinpoint an exact moment that led him to Seven Minutes in Heaven with Yuuki of all people, it’d have to be the moment he had stormed into Uenoyama’s life, begging for guidance.

\----

In the pouring rain, Uenoyama had a hard time hearing anything this random guy on the street was saying. In the gray of the dismal evening, the lack of sunlight made this man’s skin look as white as a sheet a paper, and for a moment, Uenoyama thought him to be a ghost. 

“I said,” the man screamed over the roar of the rain, “please teach me how to play the guitar!”

“No,” Uenoyama yelled back immediately.

Who even was this man in the first place? And just how long had he been standing outside of their studio in the pouring rain? Surely, there was no way this man would be so stupid as to do this just to ask him such a fruitless question. Uenoyama doesn’t teach people how to play. 

“Go ask someone who teaches for a living,” he sighed heavily as he walked past the man, “I don’t want to teach, let alone teach a complete stranger.”

“It has to be you.”

Uenoyama yawned. “No it doesn’t.”

“Yes it does.”

The man had grabbed Uenoyama by the arm, halting him in place. He was only slightly taller than Uenoyama, but it still pissed the latter off anyway.

“I saw you play at your last live. I want to be able to play like that. It was much better than anyone else I’ve seen.”

His eyes were staring through Uenoyama and looking much further into the future. They displayed desperation and admiration, and that, coupled with his words, pushed Uenoyama right to the edge. He was unsure as to whether or not this was a good idea, but he elected to act now and deal with the consequences later. After all, his playing was much better than anyone else’s playing, 

“Gah, alright, fine, just shut up and follow me.”

Uenoyama led Yuuki into the studio building and up two flights of stairs. Through the doors of their rented recording room, Kaji and Haruki were patiently waiting. Like a puppy, the man stayed close behind, excitement practically oozing from every pore.

“Who is that?”

“I felt like picking up a stray,” Uenoyama said, looking rather strung thin.

“Bullshit, you’re not that nice, Uenoy-“ Kaji said before Haruki hit him upside the head, eliciting a few choice words from the drummer.

“I just want to watch. You guys were so cool at the live the other day. I want to play like that, too.”

With the words going straight to their egos, Kaji and Haruki were more than ecstatic to welcome the stranger to their practice session. After all, when was the last time someone said they were cool, and were so forthcoming with it?

“Alright kid, what’s your name? and can you play that thing on your back?”

“I’m Yoshida Yuuki, but just Yuuki is fine,” he continued on with a giant smile on his face, “and yeah I know how the basics, but I’m not that good.”

“Yet” Kaji added as a matter-of-fact statement with that confident grin on his face. It emanated pure chaos and Yuuki reversed the sentiment.

“Yet.”

As it was already, Kaji and Yuuki got along just fine and Uenoyama merely watched on in exasperation while Haruki did his best to comfort him.

Thus, the, simultaneously, best and worst time of Uenoyama's life commenced. 

And it all started with one asshole named Yoshida Yuuki


	2. Enter: Sato Mafuyu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ueno finally understands what drives Yuuki when he meets Mafuyu. the love triangle begins.

Days came and went, filled with rampaging debates about the best guitarist of all time and passionate late-night jam sessions. Uenoyama and Yuuki didn’t quite click as well as Kaji and Yuuki did. If Uenoyama had to describe it, it was almost as though they were walking side by side except Yuuki was walking just a bit faster. Yuuki had a fire in his eye, a pep in his step, and Uenoyama was clueless as to what fuels Yuuki’s desire to play the guitar.

“You know, for someone who’s such a dumbass, I’m surprised you actually remember all these chords.”

Even though it didn’t sound like it, this was Uenoyama’s way of trying to start a friendly conversation. It’s been forever since he’s had to do that, considering Itaya and Ueki are always talking nonstop. The point is that he’s trying to get to know Yuuki, to pry him open like a coconut crab with a coconut. There’s something there and Uenoyama wants to know what it is.

“Well I have to memorize them if I want to play better, right?”

Uenoyama has always been a straightforward person, so he decided to stop tap dancing around his question and just get out with it.

“Why do you wanna get better so badly?”

In that moment, Yuuki’s face displayed an emotion that he had yet to see on anyone’s face before. It was a tender fondness, a gentle adoration, and a forlorn desire, all in one. Uenoyama felt like he was gonna have an aneurism trying to get a read on exactly what the expression meant. What kind of reason would this kind of guy have to make a face like that?

“There’s someone I want to impress. They love music, and they never look at me. I figured this would be a good way to get their attention.”

Yuuki continued thrumming on the strings, ignoring the lack of response from Uenoyama. 

The idea of loving someone who doesn’t look your way perplexed Uenoyama. He hasn’t really given much thought to relationships in the first place. So, putting himself in Yuuki’s shoes was as hard as one could expect. What did it feel like to love someone that much, he wondered.

“I’ll bring ‘em by sometime,” Yuuki added, “we were both at your live that day. They’ll be excited to meet you.”

The addition threw Uenoyama for a loop. He had known Yuuki for only a few weeks, and he was already gonna introduce him to his crush? It was a weird chain of events and Uenoyama, in usual Uenoyama fashion, proceeded to mull over the details in his head. 

What would she be like? Uenoyama was imagining a short girl, with bleached hair and maybe a few piercings. He could easily imagine Yuuki going after some fiery chick with a rebellious temperament. 

So imagine Uenoyama’s surprise when Yuuki came back the next day with company the exact opposite of what he had imagined. They had a reserved nature, auburn hair, and they were practically seeing eye-to-eye. But what surprised Uenoyama the most was that it wasn’t a girl, but another guy.

“This is Sato Mafuyu, he was also at your live the other day,” Yuuki said with the same look on his face that Uenoyama had observed the evening before. 

“You were very cool,” Mafuyu said calmly, with a sincere smile.

His languid tone and soft voice blew Uenoyama away. The hand Mafuyu had offered looked dainty, yet elegant. Silky tresses fell across his forehead, casting shadows that danced to beautiful tune he desperately longed to hear. The way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the way his head tilted slightly, the way his eyes beckoned for a response—everything captivated Uenoyama. Mafuyu was cute and in that instant, he wanted to touch him, a man, and one he had only just met.

The thoughts he was having scared him as much as they excited him. He was so caught up in the moment, in Mafuyu’s presence, that he didn’t even think about the fact that this was Yuuki’s crush. 

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” was all he could muster.

Time seemed to skip, here and there. He doesn’t remember Kaji and Haruki arriving, nor does he remember exactly what he had played during the session. He had wound himself up so much that all he could think about was impressing Mafuyu with his music. The notes poured from his hand and into his guitar, as second after second melted together. The feeling of Mafuyu’s gaze was like a weighted blanket during the winter. Uenoyama already wanted to see him again, and they had yet to even part ways. 

Their studio session ended quicker than Uenoyama would have wanted, but he put that behind him when he realized he could talk more with Mafuyu now.

“As I thought, you really are a great player,” Mafuyu offered, as he tucked a rogue strand of hair behind his ear.

Finally, things clicked for Uenoyama. The look on Yuuki’s face made sense to him, now. A day before, he couldn’t imagine what Yuuki was feeling and now, he wanted nothing more than to have this man all to himself. Uenoyama was so absolutely taken with Mafuyu that he even forgot all about the fact that they were both male. Paramount to all his other thoughts was the single realization that he had fallen for Sato Mafuyu at first sight.


	3. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shenanigans start between Ueno and Yuuki. Ueno wins round one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't wanna bookmark?? follow me on twitter for updates---> @itayashougo

It was only meant to be a joke—at least, that’s how it started. 

He could see the look in Uenoyama’s eyes when he first met Mafuyu, and of course Yuuki knew what that look meant. Just because he was dumb, doesn’t mean he was stupid. 

The jealousy rose up inside him and latched itself to his heart, turning it as black as night. That’s his Mafuyu. Well, not _his his_ , but he had loved him since they were kids. There’s no way in hell he was going to let Uenoyama, a newcomer to this rodeo, step in and grab the bull by the horns. It daunted him that Mafuyu seemed much more attracted to Uenoyama’s red cape than his.

“Alright, I think we should go. It’s getting late,” Yuuki interrupted casually before slinging an arm around Mafuyu and turning away.

Like a sly dog, he threw a knowing glare over his shoulder at Uenoyama, who looked quite startled. Yuuki watched in enjoyment as jealousy conquered Uenoyama like it conquered him. If this ship was going to go down, there was no way in hell he was going down alone.

After that, childish pranks forcibly snatched the wheel from simple bickering, forcing it into the back seat. Uenoyama poured water in Yuuki’s shoes after he managed to avoid getting them wet on a rainy day. The look on the latter’s face sent Uenoyama to meet god. He had never seen such a pissed off look before and if it wasn’t the funniest thing, then he sure would like to see whatever else could be funnier.

It wasn’t so funny, however, when all of his sheet music was tacked to the wall at a much loftier height than he could reach. And where on god’s green earth were all the chairs at a time like this? Well, Yuuki had ziptied them all to other furniture. So Uenoyama was left with one of two options: wait for Kaji to get there and explain through the embarrassment that Yuuki was sabotaging him because he fell in love with Yuuki’s crush or he could admit defeat and suffer a blow to his ego by asking Yuuki to retrieve them.

He opted to leave them there and walk away in frustration. This was the event on the timeline that demarcates the point of escalation. Uenoyama decided at that moment to hit him where it hurts, literally and figuratively. 

Through his unbothered time with Mafuyu, he had not only secured his number, but also found out about Mafuyu’s and Yuuki’s next meet up. Uenoyama concocted what he considered to be a genius plan and was surprised when everything *actually* went smoothly. Some cheap pepper, maybe some slight trespassing, and lots of giggling later, he was ready for phase two. He waited to, purposefully, cross paths with Mafuyu, and began phase two when he could faintly make out that beautiful voice he loved so much consoling a very loud someone on the other end of the phone.

“Yes, I understand the situation, but how did you get pepper in your underwear?”

Uenoyama had to stifle his laughter when Mafuyu turned the corner, and barely managed to do it before bumping right into him.

“Oh, hey Mafuyu, what a nice surprise, to run into you here,” Uenoyama said loud enough so the other side of the line could hear.

He could faintly make out some rambling and curse words, and again, laughter threatened to ruin the scheme.

“Yes, it’s Uenoyama,” a pause, “don’t worry about today, no no, take care of yourself, Yuu.”

“Is everything alright, Mafuyu?”

“What? Oh, yeah, I’m alright. I’m just trying to calm down Yuuki, he’s had an accident.”

“Why don’t we go and get some ice cream and talk about it while we eat?”

Mafuyu consented, much to Yuuki’s chagrin. Inwardly, Uenoyama was screaming his petty little heart out. He beat Yuuki and he’s finally alone with Mafuyu and they’re going out somewhere and—oh shit, this is a date. His mind was on panic mode because he never actually thought that he would get this far.

Now, he’s sitting across from Mafuyu watching him eat his mint chocolate chip ice cream. Spoonful after spoonful, he watches his enjoyment, lost in a daze looking at his lips. They were plump and looked softer than velvet. Oh, how he wished to caress them, to hold those lips in his own. He could practically feel them already and the desires stirred around in the pit of his stomach. With every passing second, he wanted to kiss Mafuyu more and more.

“Do you want some?” Mafuyu cut through his thoughts as easy as cutting through warm butter.

Embarrassed that not only had Mafuyu caught him staring, but that he misinterpreted the situation. It left him feeling guilty for looking at Mafuyu like that when he was just trying to enjoy his ice cream. In an attempt to institute some self-discipline, he graciously declined Mafuyu’s offer.

He tried to, that is. 

Well, what would you do if the person you liked offered you ice cream for a second time, with a playful smile on their face; if you could see the way the light streaming in from the windows swirled around in their eyes; if you could smell their soft scent over the strong odors of an ice cream parlor? By god, you would certainly lean forward and eat the ice cream right off the spoon.

Uenoyama sure did. It tasted awfully sweet and it only served to fuel his improper thoughts. If he kissed Mafuyu right now, he would certainly taste like mint chocolate chip ice cream. All notions of self-discipline went right out the door when he looked at Mafuyu and watched his features flush, almost in slow motion. 

This is the reward Uenoyama associated with all of his shenanigans and anyone was foolish to think he wouldn’t do anything just to see this expression again. It was endearing and it stung just a little that this is the face that Yuuki has been looking at for years. Uenoyama wished he had that deep of a connection with Mafuyu, one beyond a few weeks. He longed to know each microcosm that belonged to Mafuyu and Mafuyu only. 

It left him a little sullen, but he buried those thoughts in favor of savoring his time with Mafuyu. This is where he wanted to exist right now and for once in his life, he managed to step outside of his head and leave the worrying for his future self.


End file.
